"I am Cole Summers and the son of the previous Family Head who was my mother. Not only that, but I also inherited the family ancestor's E:1 graded wind elemental affinity and talent" announced Cole, who knew that he needed to take the chance to speak while a few elders were protecting him.
There were a few hundred high-level Advanced Cultivators in the large hall-like conference room that was similar to the one in the Maxwell Family Headquarters and they were all in high positions in the family with many people under them.
Each of them were millionaires and powerful in New York, and there were many of them that didn't agree with the great elder being the substitute family head and he was only a great elder because his father and sister were family heads.
"Since that is the case, then he is a candidate for the next family head and can also be tested in this ceremony," said one of the elders.
"Does anyone disagree?" asked the same elder to those in the conference room before the great elder could rule against it.
Nobody voiced a complaint, so Cole was added to the candidates for the next family head and out of them, the son of the great elder previously seemed to be the most suitable to be the next family head, but Cole was an unexpected surprise that might change that.
There was a line of a dozen youths and all of them wanted the position of the family head, and Cole joined them with his fists clenched, wanting to kill the great elder and all of his descendants to avenge his mother.
Everything that he had missed out on in his childhood and all things that he could have had and been if it wasn't for the jealous actions of the great elder, but Cole was grateful for the chance to act out his revenge.
The great elder wanted to kill Cole and his father to get rid of them and guarantee his son's position as the family head, but with the elders agreeing with Cole being allowed to join the ceremony, there was nothing he could do.
Everything that the great elder had done to get one of his descendants to become the family head and yet it was all about to be lost if Cole was seen as worthy by the special crystal.
Nobody in the family had been able to understand how the special crystal worked, but it used the blood of the ancestor, multiple different high difficult runes, and a rare type of crystal to produce.
"We have an unexpected candidate for the family head and you will all be tested by the Ancestor's Crystal and if you are seen as worthy by the family, you will be the next family head. After gaining that position, you will be nurtured to lead the family to a greater future and will be taught and provided everything you need to be the strongest and most knowledgeable individual in New York. While the family head is in the training process, the rest of the family sustains the production and monopoly over cultivation items" announced the great elder.
His words seemed reasonable, but he had added to the ceremony that the individual needed to be seen as worthy by the family. Although it didn't match tradition and added something to how the ceremony had been conducted for centuries, most of the elders agreed with that addition and accepted it.
It guaranteed that somebody like the great elder couldn't become the family head and was for the best of the family as almost all of the elders were loyal and serving to the family, and in the process were increasing their own knowledge and power through the process.
All of them worshipped the ancestor that had left behind for them everything they needed to succeed and surpass any human limitations and also allowed them to advance their technology using the knowledge he left them.
Becuase of that, if Cole really was telling the truth about having the same talent grading and elemental affinity as the ancestor of the Epstein Family, most of the elders would support him and want him to be the family head.
However, the great elder had those that supported him and were promised rewards that included wealth and knowledge that he would gain once one of his children became the family head.
There was a hidden underground room that was filled with cultivation methods, skill books, techniques and knowledge and to access it one must officially become family head and gain the blessing of the special crystal.
That was the main reason that the great elder wanted to become the family head, coveting what was inside, but it was forbidden and impossible to take them out of that room as if he did so, the books would turn to ash.
No matter how much he tried he couldn't get into the hidden room with force or by trying to gain the blessing of the special crystal, and once one became the family head, the only way to cut off their connection with the special crystal was to kill them.
If one of them gained the blessing of the special crystal they would gain access to the entire family building and the hidden underground room, and would also be the only one that is able to wield it until they die or pass it onto another.
The great elder's son and Cole were reserved to be tested last and the great elder was confident in his son's talent grading and elemental affinity, but if Cole really had the talent grading and elemental affinity that he said, his son wouldn't be able to compete.
The 11 youths that were tested before all had talent gradings that were around the E:4 grade, which was very high and meant that they had the potential to cultivate to the higher ranks of the Advanced Cultivation Level, but it still wasn't high enough to make them the next family head.